Eddie Howe has been one of the defining Premier League managers of the 2020s, and Newcastle United’s turnaround under him was dramatic enough to reset expectations on Tyneside.
He took over in November 2021 with the club 19th in the table and without a win after 11 league games, then lifted them to 11th by the end of that season.
What next for Eddie Howe? And how will Newcastle fare without him? Browse the latest football odds at 888sport and have your say on the Magpies this coming campaign.
His Newcastle story moved quickly from survival job to genuine success. Howe guided the club to fourth place in 2022-23, a finish no other club outside the traditional big six had reached since Everton in 2004-05.
Newcastle also delivered a first major trophy in decades during his reign, and only four clubs earned more Premier League points across his time in charge.
Who Is Eddie Howe?
Howe’s reputation was built long before Newcastle. He was known for detailed coaching, a high-intensity style and a calm public manner that made him look less like a touchline firebrand and more like a manager who preferred the training ground to the headlines.
Newcastle backed that profile in 2021, when they wanted someone who could steady the club immediately and then raise the ceiling.
That is what makes his spell at St James’ Park so notable. The first months were about rescue, but the years that followed included European football, memorable home nights and a sense that Newcastle had become a proper force again.
Even after a tough 2025-26 campaign, the overall body of work remained stronger than a single bad run of form.
His Reported Salary At Newcastle
Reported figures placed Howe among the best-paid managers in England. One 2026 ranking listed him on $5.2 million a year, while other reports in early 2026 suggested Newcastle were paying around £6 million annually.
Those numbers put a clear price tag on the club’s belief that he was central to their project. That salary level also matters because it reflects the modern reality of elite coaching. Premier League clubs do not pay that kind of money for sentiment.
They pay it for structure, standards and the hope that a manager can turn spending into results. Newcastle had the budget, Howe had the job, and for long stretches the combination worked.
What Changed At Newcastle
The final season was far less comfortable. Newcastle finished 12th in the Premier League in 2025-26, and their league performance was weighed down by injuries and underperformance at both ends of the pitch.
They scored 4.1 goals fewer than their expected goals suggested and conceded 3.7 more than their xG against pointed to. That created a strange split between the bigger picture and the immediate mood.
Over Howe’s full Newcastle spell, only four teams took more Premier League points. Over the last campaign, though, the team looked flatter, less efficient and easier to unsettle than the side that had reached the Champions League and won major silverware.
What Next For Howe And Newcastle
The latest reports have Howe leaving Newcastle after nearly five years in charge, with Matthias Jaissle lined up as the likely replacement.
Jaissle has built a strong profile at Al Ahli, including consecutive Asian Champions League titles in 2025 and 2026, and his arrival would signal a new phase rather than a simple continuation.
For Howe, the next step is likely to be shaped by the same strengths that made him attractive in the first place.
He has already shown he can rebuild a club, improve a squad and handle pressure at the sharp end of the Premier League. Any future employer will be buying that track record as much as the name on the CV.
For Newcastle, the challenge is simpler to describe and harder to solve. They need the next manager to keep the momentum of the project without losing the standards Howe installed.
The club has spent heavily, the expectations are higher, and the margin for a mid-table season is no longer the same as it once was.
